Danielle Louise Macdonald (born 1991) is an Australian actress, known for her lead roles in the drama film ''

Patti Cake$ ''Patti Cakes'' (stylized as ''Patti Cake$'') is a 2017 American drama film directed by Geremy Jasper. It was screened in the US Dramatic Competition section of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. It was released on August 18, 2017, by Fox Searchl ...

'' (2017), and '' Dumplin''' (2018). She is also known for her roles in the post-apocalyptic thriller film '' Bird Box'', the film ''

Skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

'' (2018), the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series '' Unbelievable'', and the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

/ Stan/

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

thriller series '' The Tourist''.

Early life and education

Danielle Louise Macdonald, who is of Italian and Scottish heritage, was born in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in 1991. Having taken

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...

classes in grade 8, she moved on to

improv Improv may refer to: *Improvisation, an act of spontaneous invention **Improvisational theatre (includes improvisational comedy) **Musical improvisation Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of im ...

and screen classes when she was in grade 10. She attended the Australian Institute for Performing Arts in

Artarmon, New South Wales Artarmon () is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 9 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Willoughby. History In ...

. When she was 17, Macdonald took some acting classes in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and was encouraged to move to the United States to pursue things further. After deciding that acting would be her life, Danielle moved to Hollywood at age 18.

Career

At the age of 18, Macdonald moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. She was originally booked for the role of Becca Huffstatter in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

drama series ''

Huge Huge may refer to: * ''Huge'' (Caroline's Spine album), 1996 * Huge (digital agency) * ''Huge'' (film), a 2010 film directed by Ben Miller * ''Huge'' (Hugh Hopper and Kramer album), 1997 * ''Huge'' (magazine), a style magazine published by Kod ...

'', but her visa did not come in on time and she was unable to fill the role. Her first feature film was '' The East'', which premiered at the

2013 Sundance Film Festival The 2013 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 17, 2013, until January 27, 2013, in Park City, Utah, United States, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ogden, Utah, and Sundance, Utah. The festival had 1,830 volunteers. Films A r ...

. Macdonald is known for her starring role as Alice Manning in the 2014 crime film '' Every Secret Thing'', alongside

Dakota Fanning Hannah Dakota Fanning (born February 23, 1994) is an American actress. Fanning is known for her roles in blockbuster films and independent features, both as a child actor and as an adult. Her accolades include nominations for a Golden Globe A ...

Diane Lane Diane Lane (born January 22, 1965) is an American actress. Her accolades include nominations for an Academy Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. Lane made her film debut in George Roy Hill's 1979 film '' A Littl ...

, and

Elizabeth Banks Elizabeth Irene Banks (; February 10, 1974) is an American actress, director, and producer. She is known for playing chaperone Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and an ICCA commentator in the ''Pitch Perfect'' ...

. Regarding ''Every Secret Thing'', Katherine Pushkar from the ''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

'' wrote, "The film actually belongs to Danielle Macdonald, effective as cruel, jealous Alice." Macdonald also had a supporting role in the film '' Trust Me''. In 2016, she appeared in the season finale of '' American Horror Story: Roanoke'' as Bristol Windows. The following year, Macdonald starred opposite

Bridget Everett Bridget Everett (born April 21, 1972) is an American comedian, actress, singer, writer, and cabaret performer. She began her career appearing and co-writing alongside Michael Patrick King the Off-Broadway musical comedy ''At Least It's Pink: A ...

and

Cathy Moriarty Cathy Moriarty (born November 29, 1960) is an American actress whose career spans five decades. Born and raised in New York City, she made her acting debut opposite Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's ''Raging Bull'' (1980), for which she recei ...

in the drama film ''

'' as the titular aspiring rapper in New Jersey. After working agentless for the first six years of her career, Macdonald signed with her first Hollywood agent after the success of Patti Cake$. In December 2017, Macdonald appeared in the

comedy series '' Easy'', playing the role of a teenager who retaliates against her wealthy parents when they force her to go to church every week. In 2018, Macdonald appeared in two Netflix films, opposite

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress. She rose to international fame for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom ''Friends'' from 1994 to 2004, which earned her Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and Scr ...

in the adaptation of young adult novel '' Dumplin''', by Julie Murphy; and '' Bird Box'' as Olympia, a pregnant woman who tries to survive the arrival of supernatural beings that make people want to kill themselves once they see it. She also portrayed Christa in the Academy Award-winning short drama film ''

''. In 2019, Macdonald appeared as

Lillian Roxon Lillian Roxon (8 February 1932 – 10 August 1973) was an Australian music journalist and author, best known for ''Lillian Roxon's Rock Encyclopedia'' (1969). Early life Roxon was born Lillian Ropschitz in Alassio, Province of Savona, Italy. ...

in ''

I Am Woman "I Am Woman" is a song written by Australian musicians Helen Reddy and Ray Burton (musician), Ray Burton. Performed by Reddy, the first recording of "I Am Woman" appeared on her debut album ''I Don't Know How to Love Him (album), I Don't Know H ...

'', the biopic of singer

Helen Reddy Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 194129 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a show business family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on ra ...

, which showcased her Australian accent. About the role she said "I love that these are two Australian women that decided to go to the States by themselves in a time where that didn't happen, and have a commanding presence and say 'this is what I want to do, this is a career that I want to have.' I obviously moved from Australia when I was 18 to come and pursue a crazy career, so I could understand and relate.". In 2021, Macdonald starred with

Michelle Pfeiffer Michelle Marie Pfeiffer ( ; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress. She was one of the most bankable stars in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood during the 1980s and 1990s, and her List of Michelle Pfeiffer performances, performances ...

in '' French Exit''. In the same year, Macdonald starred in the

Ben Lewin Ben Lewin (born 1946) is an Australian Film director, film and television director. Early life and education Ben Lewin was born in Poland. As a child, he emigrated with his family to Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. At the age of six, he con ...

-directed movie, ''

Falling for Figaro ''Falling for Figaro'' is a 2021 romantic comedy film written and directed by Ben Lewin, and starring Joanna Lumley, Danielle Macdonald and Hugh Skinner. American fund manager Millie, wanting to fulfill her life-long dream to become an opera ...

''. Macdonald plays Millie, a woman who quits her job to fulfill her dream of becoming an opera singer. She moves to Scotland where she is tutored by fearsome teacher, Meghan Geoffrey-Bishop (

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an Indian-born British actress, presenter, author, television producer, activist and former model. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulo ...

). Macdonald starred in the series '' The Tourist'' alongside

Jamie Dornan James Peter Maxwell Dornan (; born 1 May 1982) is an actor, model, and musician from Northern Ireland. The recipient of two Irish Film and Television Awards, he has been nominated for a BAFTA Television Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 202 ...

and

Alex Dimitriades Alex Dimitriades (; born 28 December 1973) is an Australian television, film and stage actor of Greek descent. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Nick Polides in the 1993 romantic comedy film '' The Heartbreak Kid'' and as Nick Poulos in ...

, in 2022. Macdonald plays the character of Helen Chambers, a police officer from a country town who is sent to investigate a man who suffered amnesia after a car crash. In 2025, Macdonald was named for the Foxtel series ''The Last Anniversary.''

Personal life

Macdonald was personally affected by the catastrophic summer

bushfires in Australia Bushfires in Australia are a widespread and regular occurrence that have contributed significantly to shaping the nature of the continent over millions of years. Eastern Australia is one of the most fire-prone regions of the world, and its pr ...

over 2019–20 when her cousin's house burned down. While staying with family in

Bateman's Bay Batemans Bay is a town in the South Coast region of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Batemans Bay is administered by the Eurobodalla Shire council. The town is situated on the shores of an estuary formed where the Clyde River meets the ...

over Christmas, Macdonald and her family fled to safety in a car journey that would normally have taken three hours but took 13 hours through the fire-ravaged region. In September 2020, Macdonald was living with roommates and several rescue pets in Los Angeles. Animal welfare is important to Macdonald and she lived as a

pescatarian Pescetarianism ( ; sometimes spelled pescatarianism) is a dietary practice in which seafood is the only source of meat in an otherwise vegetarian diet. The inclusion of other animal products, such as eggs and dairy, is optional. According to res ...

for five years, choosing to convert to

veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a vega ...

at the beginning of 2020.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music Video

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Danielle 1991 births Living people 21st-century Australian actresses Actresses from Sydney Australian expatriate actresses in the United States Australian film actresses Australian television actresses Australian people of Italian descent Australian people of Scottish descent